European Parliament Gets Real About Online Cruelty
The European Parliament marked International Women’s Day with a sobering reminder that the internet isn’t just cat videos and memes—it’s also a battlefield where cyberbullying can have devastating consequences.
Jackie Fox took the floor Tuesday to share her heartbreaking story. Her daughter, a healthy young woman, became the target of relentless physical and online abuse that ultimately led to her taking her own life. Because apparently, some people think hiding behind a screen gives them a license to be terrible humans.
Here’s the kicker: Fox discovered there were no laws protecting adults or children from this digital torture chamber. So she did what any grieving mother turned warrior would do—she campaigned for “Coco’s law” in Ireland, legislation specifically targeting cyberbullying. Now she’s asking the EU to make it everyone’s law, because cruelty shouldn’t have borders.
Parliament President Roberta Metsola wasn’t mincing words: “The courage of women who refuse to stay silent continues to shape our societies.” Translation: We’re done with the nonsense.
MEPs jumped into the debate, emphasizing that online harassment isn’t “free speech”—it’s violence wearing a digital mask. They stressed that women deserve safety both online and offline (revolutionary concept, right?) and called out the reactionary forces trying to roll back women’s rights.
The message was crystal clear: Bullying and hatred need to stop, whether they’re happening in a schoolyard or a comment section. Because at the end of the day, words on a screen can hurt just as much as sticks and stones—sometimes even more.